Coming Nights - Teen Wolf (Stiles) Fanfiction
by Alphapack24
Summary: Teen Wolf Fanfiction
1. Chapter 1

_-Flashback-_

_The arrow thudded into the wall._

_Fire. The old, dry wood of our home burst into flames in an instant. Dark smoke filled the air; scratching my lungs and making me choke. I looked around for something familiar and spotted Derek in the far corner of the room, his face filled with fear and horror._

_Arrow after arrow sliced through the air, stoking the flames higher. Through the haze of ash, I desperately sought Derek's eyes. I knew he would protect me no matter, but he was in danger, too. If something happened to Derek while he was trying to rescue me, I could never forgive myself._

_Coughing from the soot-thick air, I grabbed Derek's hand and ran with him toward the door. But they were ready for us. Until that moment, I hadn't known what fear was. Horror jolted through me, cold as ice water. There was a knot in my throat that kept me back from screaming. I was paralyzed. Why hadn't I realized until now how little I understood about the hard facts of being a werewolf? It never seemed like anything I had to question before._

_Silhouetted against the flames, a dark, forbidding line of figures stood just beyond the edge of the house. All of them branded weapons, ready to attack and destroy. They had come for us. They had come to punish me along with the rest of my family. They had come to kill._

_There was nowhere to go, no place to run. We couldn't remain here, not with the blaze around us roaring, already so hot that it stung my skin. Soon the ceiling would collapse and crush us all. Outside, the hunters waited._

_I stood motionless, not knowing what do. I was only six years old, and even though my parents had trained me to know what to do in case this happened, I still remained frozen. I was in shock. I needed my parents, I needed for them to tell me everything was going to be okay. In that precise moment, I felt someone grab my shoulder, and I cried out in panic, but as I turned around, I recognized Derek's icy blue eyes._

"_It's going to be okay." He said, and with that, he tightened his grip on my hand as for reassurance and ran to the stairs that lead to a secret exit underground, that my parents and Derek's parents had strictly banned us from using unless it was an emergency. I suddenly bolted to a stop, which caused Derek confusion. "What are you doing? We have to get out of here!" And with that, he yanked my hand and began to run. It was getting really hard to breathe, and the smoke made it almost impossible to see where we were going. But Derek, being Derek, didn't give up till we found the secret opening in the floor that lead to the basement where the underground tunnel would lead us to our only chance of escape._

"_I'm going to jump first-"_

"_Don't leave me!" I cried in panic, the tears already forming behind my eyes, threatening to spill. Ever since I could remember, I always had a fear of being left alone._

_Derek looked at me concerned and there was something in his eyes that I could not comprehend. Derek had never been comfortable showing his feelings or his thoughts, he was a weird child, always keeping to himself and trusting none. That was just Derek. So in that moment when he wrapped his arms around me and whispered in my ear "I would never leave you," to low that I almost didn't catch, I knew right then and there that no mattered what happened, I was going to be okay. Derek was going to be okay. And everything else was going to be okay._

_With my arms wrapped around my tiny frame, I watched Derek jump through the dark hole, and I faintly heard the 'thump' where he landed. But almost at that precise moment, I heard a louder crash, and soon after, voices that I did not recognize. "Hurry and look for any survivors! If you find any, put them on a leash and bring the dogs to me." The voice was a female, and even though her voice sounded sweet, I knew she wasn't anywhere near the word._

"_Meeya, jump!" I heard Derek call. I looked down at the hole, trying to see exactly what I would be jumping into. "Hurry!" I was afraid. The strangers' voices were getting closer and by then, it was almost impossible to breathe with so much smoke filling my lungs. I knew that if I didn't jump, I would soon be dead. "Meeya!" Derek called in terror. And before I even let myself think about it more, I closed my eyes and jumped. I expected to land anywhere else but in Derek's arms, but there I was, looking up at Derek. It was weird, but in that precise moment, it was like we both knew were going to be okay, and smiled._

_We hurried out of the tunnel, neither of us knowing where it would lead us. And like Derek promised, he stood by my side, not letting go of my hand once. We tried to hurry out as fast as we could, but I found myself not being able to run as fast as Derek. I didn't understand back then why Derek was faster than I even though we were both werewolves. But now I understand that Derek being ten, had longer legs and greater balance than I had, considering I was only six years old and still tripped whenever I tried running fast._

_I still remember that bolt of relief that washed through my body when we reached the end of the tunnel and saw a familiar face running towards us, tears streaming down her face._

"_Momma!" I instantly let go of Derek's hand and run towards my mother's warm embrace. Thousands of emotions were running through my body in that moment, I was too young to comprehend all of them. Farther ahead, I saw Laura walking towards us. Laura was Derek's older sister, she was six years older than I, the reason as to why we never really bonded like me and Derek did. I will never forget the look on Derek's face when he saw his sister, it was filled with nothing else but love, despite all the fights and arguments those two had, I knew they would be nothing without each other._

"_Come on children, it's time to go." My mom said, grabbing my hand and Laura's, Derek walking a little behind us._

Throughout these ten years that have passed, we never talked about what occurred that day, and we all knew better than to ask or bring it up. We didn't have too in order to understand what had happened. Even though we were young, something inside me knew my dad was never coming back, and Laura and Derek also understood that they would never be able to see their parents again either.

But we were okay, we were lucky to have my mom. She treated Derek and Laura as her own, and raised us like brother and sisters. After the fire incident, we relocated in Lakewood, Colorado. We've lived here for the past ten years, and everything seemed to be fine, up until recently when strange things began to take place.

I first noticed them when my mom, Laura, and Derek would hold "family meetings", without me. At first I didn't pay much attention to it, reminding myself that they had business I didn't need to know of. But then it started getting to the point where I couldn't take it anymore. I knew they were hiding things from me, and it was really starting to piss me off, especially since none of them would give me a reason as to why they were keeping them from me. It lasted for about two years, till that one morning when I woke up and found Laura's belongings packed in front of the door.

She didn't tell us where she was going, and I seemed to be the only one who was worried about the situation, seeming that mom and Derek didn't seem to care at all. I realized it was because they knew where she was going, and why. I tried cornering Derek about it a couple of times, but he played stupid and acted like he didn't know what I was talking about.

Exactly two weeks ago, Derek packed his belongings and left without giving me an explanation of why he was leaving. And of course, I was positive my mom knew why. I didn't bother asking her though; I knew she wasn't going to tell me. However, a day before he left, my mom wasn't home and he sat me in the kitchen table.

"I need to talk to you." He said, his blue eyes piercing my hazel ones. "What's up?" I asked concerned. Derek didn't usually sit me down and 'talk to me'. Our relationship usually consisted of teasing, playing jokes on one another, and occasionally me hiding his underwear in places you couldn't even imagine. It would be safe to say, Derek was my best friend.

"I'm leaving." He said, and I swear, if I had been eating anything, I would've spit it out.

"Where are you going?" I asked, tears already forming behind my eyes. I was trying very hard not to cry, us Hales don't cry, but it was useless. Before he could answer, I had a river flowing down my cheeks. "You can't leave me! You promised you wouldn't leave me!" I cried, positive that there were pieces of my shattered heart on the floor.

"What are you talking about?" He asked frowning, confused.

"When we were in the house, you hugged me and promised you would never leave me! You promised!" I yelled. He grabbed my wrists as my hands turned into angry fists. My knees began to turn weak, and before I knew it, I fell to the floor with my own misery. It was like losing my dad all over again. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say in order to make him stay. I needed Derek, he was the person that kept me balanced.

Besides during the full moon, never in my life had it happened, so both Derek and I were surprised when I started changing. The claws were first, and then I started to feel my body change. Never had I experienced as much pain as when I phased. Derek soon tackled me and I was facing up, with him on top me. "Meeya, control yourself. Breathe." He kept saying, but I could barely hear him, it was like he was miles away when in reality, he was just inches away from me. The monster was taking over me. "Meeya!" It was like the sound of his voice was keeping me from fully giving into the wolf. He was keeping me human. Sooner than later, I felt myself again. Derek breathed in relief and got off me. He stood up, and extended his hand. As I grabbed it, he pulled me up and into his chest, wrapping his arms around me as I silently cried. He soon carried me up to my bed, and laid there with me, not leaving me once, and letting me ruin his good shirt with my tears. Before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

The next morning, Derek was gone. His stuff was gone. He was gone.

Never in my life had I ever felt so alone and hopeless. And even though I knew he was gone, I still looked for him. I ran to his room; empty. The rest of the house; empty.

I even went outside and ran to the river that was near our house. Derek never said anything about it, but I knew this was his thinking place. He would come down here whenever he was in doubt. I didn't have trouble finding the place, which surprised me, I usually got lost when I came down here. What did surprise me though was the white sheet of paper taped to a visible tree trunk.

I knew that messy handwriting anywhere.

"_I'm sorry, Meeya._

_Things came up that I need to take care of before they get out of hand._

_I need you to take care of your mom, and yourself. It would kill me if anything happened to you guys while I was gone. Promise not to be too reckless, I know how you can get._

_This isn't permanent, I'll be back. I promised I would never leave you. I keep my promises, doesn't matter if they're ten years old._

_P.S. Beacon Hills, California. That's where I'll be. Don't tell your mom I told you, she'd kill me. Love you both._

_, Derek."_

I couldn't help but smile.

would be back, Derek would be back, and everything would go back to the way they used to be. It was going to be alright….or so I thought.

So, the beginning of the story (in italic) is basically a flashback and just the start of what had occurred, you'll know exactly what happened in the next chapter. The normal lettering, is , next chapter will be actually starting to get into the actual Teen Wolf story (meaning Stiles will come along), I just needed to get these introductions out of the way. :)


	2. Chapter 2

I head downstairs, in search of some ice cream, knowing a rich and creamy bucket of Butter Pecan ice cream might possibly help me feel better about Derek leaving. And after retrieving a quart from the freezer, I cradle it in my arms and reach for a spoon, and then the whole thing crashes to the ground when I hear a voice say:

"So touching, so very, very touching."

I bend over, squeezing the toes that got nailed by a quart of Butter pecan ice cream, as I gape at a perfectly turned-out Kate Argent—legs crossed, hands folded, a prim and proper lady, seated right there at my breakfast bar.

"So cute how Derek left a little note for you in that tree." She laughs, her eyes grazing over me.

I gaze at her, concentrating on my breath, keeping it slow and steady, trying to not to get angry and shift.

"If you're looking for Derek, he's not here." I finally say, my voice scratchy, hoarse, like it hasn't been used for days.

She lifts her brow. "Trust me, I know where Derek is. I always know where he is. It's what I do."

"So you're a stalker?" I press my lips together, knowing I shouldn't antagonize her, but hey, I have nothing to lose. Either way, she's here to kill me.

She twists her lips and holds her hand in front of her face, inspecting her perfectly manicured nails. "Hardly," she mumbles.

"Well if that's how you've chosen to spend your last 50 years, then some might say—" "I'm only 32 you stupid dog!" she looks me over and scowls.

" She rolls her eyes and stands. She moves towards me her smile growing wider with each approaching step slinking around the large granite counter like a cat. "Quite frankly, I can't I can't imagine what it is like to be werewolf. I mean, it's because of it that you always seem to suffer. Its because of your filthy bloodline that you're going through all of this now if only you hadn't lived through that damn fire." She shakes her head. " I mean just when I thought it was safe to leave just when I was sure you were dead, the next thing I know, surprise, you're alive!" she shakes her head again " you'd think that after all these years, I'd have a little more patience but then you really do bore me clearly that's not my fault Derek or that other b*tch would have already attacked by now."

"You caused the fire?"

She looks at me and rolls her eyes. "Yes I caused the house fire. Why must everything be spelled out for you?" she shakes her head " in the end it was almost to easy to be any fun. But make no but make no mistake Meeya, this time Derek is not here to save you and I will stick around to get the job done." I scan the room looking for some protection eyeing the knife rack across the room but knowing I will never get to it in time _I'm not fast like Derek or Laura are. At least, I didn't think I was. And there's really no time to find out. She noticed what I was staring and chuckled._

"_By all means, please, get the knife, see if I care." She shakes her head and checks her diamond-encrusted watch. "I'd really like to get started though, if you don't mind. Normally I like to take my time, have a little fun, but, today, well I have things I need to tend too." She slinks forward, each step silent, quick, until she's standing directly before me, and I've had no time to react. I reach for the bamboo cutting board, thinking I can slam it over her head, but she lunges for me so fast she knocks me off balance and slams my body into the fridge, the blow to my back stealing my breath as I gasp and fumble and fall to the ground. Hearing the thwack of my head cracking open when it slams against the floor as a trail of warm blood seeps from my skull to my mouth._

_And before I can move or do anything to fight back, she places her foot on my neck. "Just give up, Meeya. Go join your happy family; they're all waiting to see you. You're not cut out for this life. You have nothing left to live for. And now's your chance to leave it."_

_I must've blacked out, but only for a moment, because when I open my eyes, she's still right there on top of me, her face and hands stained with my blood as she croons and coaxes and whispers, trying to convince me to let go, to just let myself go, once and for all, to just slip away and be done with it all._

_But even though that might've been tempting before, it's not anymore. This bitch killed my family and now she's going to pay._

_I feel my body changing instantly. And as I feel my strength surging inside me I lift her right off me and throw her across the room, watching as she flies right into the wall, her arm jutting out at an unnatural angle as her body tilts to the floor. She looks at me, eyes wide with shock, but soon she's up and laughing as she dusts herself off. And when she lunges at me, I throw her off again, watching as she soars across the kitchen and all the way into the den, crashing through the closed French doors and sending an explosion of broken shards through the room._

"_Quite the crime scene you're creating," she says, plucking glass daggers from her arms, her legs, and her face. "Very impressive. Can't wait to read all about it in tomorrow's paper." She smiles, and just like that, she's on me again, fully restored, determined to win. "You're in over your head," she whispers. "And frankly, your pathetic show of strength is getting a little redundant. Seriously, Meeya, you're one lousy dog."_

_I was ready to toss her through her a thousand windows. But I've barely completed the thought when I'm sideswiped by a horrible, sharp, electrocuting pain. Watching as Kate steps toward me, face pulled into a grin, paralyzing me so that I can't even stop her._

_She laughs. "Works every time. Though, in all fairness, I did try to warn you. You just wouldn't listen."_

_I try to focus on her, watching as she moves toward me, but my vision is distorted, and my limbs so rubbery and weak, she's like a fast moving blur I know I can't beat._

_So I close my eyes and think: I can't let her win. I can't let her win. Not this time. Not after what she did to my family._

The muted morning light was still new in the sky as I wriggled into my jeans and grabbed a warm black jacket that belonged to my cousin Derek. I knotted my long light brown hair into a makeshift bun and stepped into my boots. It felt very important to be quiet, I had seen the hunters leave, but for all I know they could still be watching my house intently. I grabbed a bag and threw in some clothes, not caring what I grabbed or whether they matched. I grabbed my keys, threw my bag over my shoulder and ran to my car. Early morning fog blanketed the world in a bluish-gray as I walked across the grounds. I glanced behind me at my house, I shivered. Within a few more steps, it began to fade into the fog.

In the beginning, I hadn't pause to think about it, I just threw myself into the silky leather seat of my Mercedes S600 Guard and cranked the engine. The car felt almost airborne as it leaped forward.

It only took seconds to race through the tight, winding drive. The car responded to me like my thoughts were steering rather my hands, I blew out of the green tunnel and onto the highway.

At first, I tried driving sanely on my way to California. I wasn't in a rush simply because I realized I didn't want to go where I was going. Back to that house, back to that forest. Back to the memories and reminders that caused that pain I've tried so hard to avoid all these years.

But as soon as the images of the hunters coming into my house and killing my family replayed themselves in my head, I couldn't help but step on the gas pedal.

In a sick way, it was my lucky day. If by lucky you meant taking a well-traveled highway at two hundred without so much as seeing one cop, even in the thirty mile an hour speed trap towns.

My head was spinning. My heart pounded faster. The farther I drove, I felt more afraid, not less. Before, when my mom told me this was what I had to do, it seemed like a good idea. Like it couldn't and wouldn't fail. Now that it was real, and I was alone and driving into a wilderness I didn't know, I wasn't so sure. Maybe I was running away for nothing. Maybe the hunters would find me and kill me no matter what.

It felt like just yesterday when we had left this place; it felt strange coming back to something we had been running away from ten years ago. And to be honest, I didn't miss this place at all. I wouldn't be here if I had another option, but I had no choice. I needed to find Derek and Laura.

I had been driving for hours, and as soon as I passed the "Beacon Hills, California" sign, I knew it was too late to change my mind and turn back. The skies were dull gray-no clue as to the exact time- it was pretty dark. I watched the trees fly by as I stepped on the gas. There has always been something beautiful about night time; it was like everything seemed to be at peace with itself.

The fragrant smell of rain was clear in the late night air as I drove through the woods of Beacon Hills. I had always felt at ease in these woods. I grew up spending all my time out here when I was little. And even though I hadn't been in this place in over ten years, I still remembered this area like the back of my hand. It was beautiful here, of course; I couldn't deny that. Everywhere you looked you would see green: the trees, their trunks covered with moss, their branches hanging with a canopy of it.

I hadn't been paying much attention to the road, so I was surprised when I noticed a black figure standing only feet away from my car. I immediately hit the brake in panic, the car jolting to a sudden stop making, my body swerve forward instantly.

At once, I took off my seat belt and got out of the car. I zipped up my jacket and pulled over the hoodie over my head; it was just drizzling still, not enough to soak me as I looked for the unknown thing I almost hit with my car.

"Hello? Anybody out there?" I called, bending over and looking underneath my car.

I hadn't been expecting someone to answer me, so fear jolted through my body as someone behind me said, "Thanks for not hitting me."

Out of reflex, I instantly grabbed the person's arm, twisting it and pushing him against the car. I let out a sigh of relief as I noticed it was just a boy, he seemed young, maybe around my age. He was taller than me and broad shouldered. He had wavy, dark brown hair that fell across his forehead. His jaw was strong and angular, and he had a solid, muscular body and dark brown eyes. I let him go, and immediately apologized.

"S' alright." He said smiling, and I instantly smiled back.

"Hey, well at least let me give you a ride to wherever you're going in. You may be okay with it, but my conscience isn't going to drop the fact that I almost killed someone." I said. It was true; I was one of those people that couldn't live with a guilty conscience if my life depended on it. Meaning, I also struggled keeping secrets, but I managed, most of the time at least. He laughed, and nodded.

"Nice car, by the way." He mumbled, eyeing the vehicle, and walking towards the passenger side. I didn't respond. Still shaky with adrenaline I opened the car door and hopped in.

Engine snarling like a hunting panther, the car jolted forward so fast that my body slammed into the black leather seat and my stomach flattened against my spine.

"Sorry," I apologized meekly. "I'm still getting used to this thing."

The guy chuckled and slowly put on his seat belt. "Mind me asking, but why would you need four thousand pounds of body armor and missile-proof windows for?"

"Too be honest, I really don't know. It was a birthday present." I smiled timidly, nudging the gas pedal down one half millimeter, and the car shot forward again. In fact, I did know. My mom, Derek, and Laura all thought it be a good idea to get me this car for protection. Living in a world where you're a werewolf and spend most of your time running away from hunters with deathly weapons trying to kill you, you needed all the protection you could get.

I was surprised I hadn't noticed the smell before, but now being so close to the guy, it was impossible to ignore._ Blood_. It was reeking off him, and I suddenly began mentally slapping myself for letting a total stranger into my car. From the corner of my eye, I noticed him wince and gently touch his right side.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

At first he seemed to be debating whether he should tell me, but he shrugged and nodded.

"Something attacked me in the woods, I don't know-"He started, but wasn't able to finish before I intervened.

"Attacked, by what?!" I asked alarmed. I wasn't sure why, but I was getting this really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach and I didn't like it one bit.

"It was dark and I really couldn't make out what it was, maybe a wolf, which makes sense because a while after I heard wolf howling." He said, looking straight ahead. As soon as he mentioned 'wolf', I felt goose bumps on my arms and chills down my back. I could see fear in his eyes, and something told me that he wasn't lying. "It bit me."

I tried not to sound too alarmed, but something about this situation was totally off. Already, I sensed that were was more to it than just a 'wolf'.

"You should probably get that checked out." I said, trying to keep my voice from breaking.

After that, we exchanged as few more comments on the weather, which was wet, and that was pretty much it for conversation. Soon, thick fog was all I could see out of my window, and I could feel the claustrophobia creeping up on me.

Something was off about tonight; I could feel it in the atmosphere. There were no animals, no chirping grasshoppers, and no warmth. It was like I was surrounded by some spooky forest that I had no claim to. Something was in this forest and it was something that didn't belong.

Soon enough, the guy was telling me to park in front of a house.

"Hey, well thanks for the ride!" He said as he stepped out of the car.

"No problem." I said, and waved. I had forgot to ask for his name, but it didn't matter, something told me I'd be seeing this guy much more than I'd like too.

I pulled out of the drive way, and began to drive to my old home. I was afraid as to what I may find, or better yet as to what I wouldn't find. What if Derek and Laura had lied and neither of them were in Beacon Hills after all? I wouldn't know what to do then. I would be alone to fend for myself, but there's so much a 16 year old girl can do to survive. However, as I thought it over a bit more, I realized Derek had no reason to lie to me. Why would he? Nothing made any sense anymore. But I ignored the voices in my head and decided I would look for Derek, I hadn't driven hours to get here for nothing.

I made a U-turn and sped up, heading back to the house where it all started.


	3. Chapter 3

I could tell my mom had been worrying about me- watching me jump at any loud sound, or my face suddenly go white for no reason she could see. From the questions she asked me now and then, she seemed to blame the change on Derek's absence.

The terror that was always foremost in my thoughts usually distracted me from the fact that another week had passed, and Derek still hadn't called me.

I had missed him horribly.

Then, more than ever, I yearned for his carefree laugh and his infectious grin.

I'd half expected him to call me the day after he left. If there had been some progress with what he was looking for, wouldn't he want to report it, at least to my mom? I wanted to believe that it was worry for this situation that was occupying all his time. But I couldn't be sure.

But now, that I was in Beacon Hills, California in search for Derek, everything seemed to be worse than before. I knew that the hunters had found out I wasn't dead by now. If I did find Derek, I took the chance of leading one of the hunters to him. What if they caught up to me with Derek nearby? As much as it hurt me, I knew it was better for me to be away from Derek. Safer for him.

It was bad enough that I hadn't figured out a way to keep my mom safe. Nighttime was the most likely time that they would come looking for me and what could I say to get Derek out of the house? If I told him the truth, he'd have me locked up and he would be super over-protective. But I knew Kate would come to the Hale house first, looking for me. Maybe, if she found me here, that would be enough for her. Maybe she would just leave when she was done with me, and let Derek and Laura be.

The worry was eating a hole in my stomach.

But I wasn't paying attention to the familiar road, letting the sound of the engine deaden my brain and silence the worries. My mind was so preoccupied that the trip I'd been terrified of making seemed to take only a few seconds. Before I was expecting it, the forest began to thicken, and I knew I would soon be able to see the burned down house I once called my home.

I stopped in front the house, killing the engine. I found myself sitting in my car in front of the burned down house, keys in hand, for what seemed like hours. I was arguing with myself whether I would take the risk and put both Derek and Laura lives at jeopardy.

A movement flashed in my peripheral vision. My breath caught for just a moment in my throat, hopeful that luck was with me for once, and I'd stumble across Laura or Derek without trying. I turned and spotted Derek looking at me through the front window with a confused expression. I waved once, and smiled a tight smile, but stayed where I was. His eyes narrowed; he let the curtain fall across the glass. Soon enough, there was a sharp tap against my door.

I jumped, but all of a sudden Derek opened my door, grabbed my arm, and took me out of the car.

"What are you doing here, Meeya?" Derek growled. I stared at him in blank astonishment.

Derek had changed radically in the last week since I'd seen him. The first thing I noticed were the planes of his face, they seemed to have hardened subtly, tightened. His hands, where they gripped my arm, looked huge, with the tendons and veins more prominent. But the physical changes didn't matter.

It was his expression that made him almost completely unrecognizable. The open, friendly smile I was so used to was gone, and his dark eyes altered to a brooding resentment that was instantly disturbing. There seemed to be darkness to Derek now.

"Derek?" I whispered.

He just stared at me, his eyes tense and angry. His glare was vicious. I'd never seen him look at anyone like that, least of all me. "What are you doing here?" He repeated.

"Mom's dead." I said in a weak voice.

"What?" He asked, like he didn't comprehend what I said in the first place. Even though I knew he had heard.

"Mom's dead!" I hissed, and my voice was stronger. He didn't say anything, he just stared at me. I stared back, and the silence stretched on.

I felt a lump beginning to build in my throat. I got out of his grasp, and began walking towards the house. My feet squished in the damp grass and mud beside the road, and, as that was the only sound, at first I thought he wasn't following me. But when I glanced around, he was right beside me, his feet having somehow found a less noisy path than mine.

"Who did it?" His voice turned brittle and he looked over my head, past me, rage burning out from his eyes. My mouth fell open and my breath came out with a _whooshing_ sound. I was frozen in place, stabbed through with his double-edged words. The pain twisted in familiar through my body, the jagged hole ripping me open the inside out. I couldn't believe that I'd heard him correctly. There was no trace of indecision in his face. Only fury.

I raised one eyebrow in disbelief. "I think you know exactly who did it. You're not going to make me say it, are you?"

"Who?" He repeated. He was quiet for a moment. I turned my head to the side, to see his expression. It surprised me. His eyes were slightly squinted, his teeth clenched, his forehead wrinkled. He didn't need me to say it, in order for him to know.

"The _hunters_." I said slowly, drawing out the word.

"They won't stop till they've finished what they started."He said.

"I still don't understand what they want from us. We've never done anything to them or to anybody else! Why do they want to kill us?!" He didn't flinch as I shouted the words in his face.

"For existing." He hissed. Derek was fuming in front of me, quivering with anger. I shook my head back and forth in denial, trying to clear it at the same time. The rain started to pour, stinging here and there against my skin. Derek kept staring at me with an expression like something was stabbing him. He held one hand out, looking at my eyes. I took his hand, and suddenly he yanked me—too roughly that I thudded against his chest.

"I'm so sorry Meeya," He muttered against my hair, crushing me in a bear hug that I could feel breaking my ribs.

"Can't—breathe!" I gasped, he dropped me at once. We began walking towards the house in silence, it was weird seeing my childhood house burned down, and it was almost unrecognizable. The front of the house wasn't as bad as the back part, it was actually standing. The roof was almost gone, and I wondered if Derek had actually been living here for the past weeks.

We had barely entered the house when I began sneezing uncontrollably; there was so much dust. I was sure Derek hadn't even raised a finger to clean this place up. I stopped walking and looked around the house, a rush of memories replaying themselves in my head. The stairs where I used to sit and wait for my dad to get home, the living room where my aunt used to play her piano, and even the small hallway where me and Derek stood in opposite directions and threw the ball at each other. I couldn't help but smile.

"Come on," Derek said, leading me towards the living room, where a small black couch was. "Pull it out, it's a bed." I didn't remember having one of those, and my only guess was that Derek had brought it. I mean, he needed to sleep somewhere, right? And it's not like he was going to sleep in the floor.

I just stood there, looking around the living room. There was a couple of things still standing, and I was sure if we cleaned them up, it would be at least decent looking. Derek sighed, and walked towards the couch thing, fidgeting with something, his back against me. I took this opportunity to go running across the room and jumped on his back. He seemed a little taken aback at first, but began to laugh, attempting to unlock my arms from his neck.

"Meeya, get off me!" He said laughing, but I refused to let go. However, he somehow managed to flip me over and I ended landing in the couch facing up.

"That was fun." I said, smiling at him. He simply chuckled and shook his head at my immatureness. I stood up and dusted myself off; I didn't even begin walking before he placed his arm in front of me.

"Where do you think you're going?" He said, raising his eyebrow at me, he seemed to do that a lot when I was around.

"I was gonna get my messenger bag from the car?" I said confused. I knew then and there that Derek's over protectiveness was going to get worse than usual now that the hunters were after us. He caught my elbow and steered me back to the bed, and I plopped into the couch. "Derek, let me get my stuff!" I said, getting up and trying to push past him. It was useless though. I didn't budge him an inch. I dropped my hands quickly, and stepped away from him. "Derek, I'm just going to get my stuff from the car."

"It's dark outside, you're not going anywhere."

My question came out muffled for some reason. "Why are you being so protective?"

He was quiet for a moment, he exhaled heavily. We looked at each other for a long moment in the dark room, both our faces hopeless. "Look, there's been some stuff going on, the reason as to why I came down here, and well it's getting out of control. It's dangerous Meeya, I don't want you to be here-"

"What are you talking about?" I asked warily, staring at him with guarded eyes. He sucked in a startled breath, and then leaned toward me, his face shifting from hopelessness to blazing intensity. He spoke the words right into my face.

"It's better for both of us if you don't know. I don't need you worrying about things; you've already got enough going on in your head," he whispered.

I looked at him with knowing eyes, and my thoughts jumped immediately to the guy I almost ran over, and to the 'wolf' that attacked him. I still didn't see how it applied to him, or Laura, or even to me.

"It's another werewolf isn't it?" The words were out of my mouth before I could think them over.

He closed his eyes opened them again. "Yes." The word was tense, like he was on the edge of something vital. He spoke slowly, making each word distinct."It's an alpha, without a pack. But, how did you know?"

Even in the dark, he must be able to see the change in the color of my face. "Before I came here," He nodded urging me on. "I almost ran over this guy…"

"You what?! Never mind, keep going."

"Well, I gave him a ride to his house to make it up to him, and he smelled like blood." He was nodding, anxious for more. My voice was nearly soundless. "I asked him about it, he said something had attacked him in the woods. He thought it was a wolf, because later, he heard wolf howling." I breathed.

He inhaled deeply, struggling. "Did he get bitten?"

"I-I think so." I muttered. " Derek, where's Laura?" He pushed me, gently this time, back down on the couch, ignoring my question.

"Get some sleep, Meeya." He said, walking back to the entrance door.

"You don't know where she is, do you?" I saw in a low, intense voice.

"No," he said, almost too low for me to hear. "I'll go get your stuff. I just need for you to understand that I'm going to be watching more carefully after you. I won't lose you, Meeya. Not to the hunters, not to the alpha, or to anybody else."

He opened the door quietly, and then disappearing through it. I listened for him to hit the squeaky stairs that lead to the entrance, but there was no sound.

I lay back on the couch, pulling a blanket Derek had left here over my head. I was too confused, and much too worn out. I closed my eyes, trying to make sense of all of this, only to be swallowed up by unconsciousness so swiftly that it was disorienting.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, I woke up screaming at the top of my lungs.

I almost expected Derek to come check on me. I buried my head in the sofa cushion and tried to muffle the hysterics that my screams were building into. I pressed the cushion against my face.

Derek didn't come in, and eventually I was able to strangle the strange screeching coming out of my throat. Ever since the fire accident happened, the next few weeks I always had nightmares, every night. Not nightmares, in the plural, more like nightmare. It was always the same dream. But the dream never failed to horrify me, and only ended when I woke myself with screaming. I guess Derek was used to it by now.

I felt absolutely hideous. I hadn't slept well, and my head ached, and to make it even worse I was hungry, and I was aware there wasn't any food in this house. I yawned as I walked around the house in search of my purple messenger bag with my belongings. As I passed the kitchen, I glanced at a clock, and realized it was much later than I expected. It was nearly 3 p.m. no wonder I felt so disgusting. All of a sudden, I heard my phone ring and I followed the noise upstairs to a bedroom I remembered being Laura's. Sure enough, my bag was plopped there in the floor. I searched for my phone, and realized I had 6 missed calls, all from Derek. I decided I would call him back once I took a quick shower. I searched for some clean clothes and my toiletries, and went to the downstairs bathroom, that for my surprise, was working just fine.

As I got out of the shower, I changed into some sweats and a hoodie and some sneakers. I washed my face and teeth, and brushed my light brown hair, putting it up in a pony tail. As soon as I was out of the shower, I called Derek. I knew he'd be mad at me for not answering or calling him sooner, but whatever.

"Hello?" he answered relief clearly in his voice. "Meeya, are you ready?"

"Um yeah, why?" I said, as I walked towards the living room and began to pick up.

"Good, I'll be there to pick you up in a few." He said, and I could hear the car accelerating from the background.

"Where are we going?" I asked confused. Where would Derek want to be taking me?

"You're hungry, aren't you?" He said, and I nodded even though he couldn't see me. "Just be ready." And with that, the call ended. I grabbed my phone and decided I would wait for him outside. I closed the door behind me, and went outside, sitting on the porch steps. Sooner than later, I saw Derek's black Camaro pull in beside me. I hopped in the car and put on my seat belt.

"Please tell me you're not taking me to some yucky fast food restaurant." I said looking at him seriously. I've always hated fast food restaurants for some reason, I like the home made stuff.

"We can get some Chinese-"

"I love Chinese noodles!" I yelled, excited. He chuckled and nodded his head.

"And after, we'll take a quick trip to the store to get you some clothes-"My eyes widened, and my mouth literally flew open. Was Derek actually suggesting going shopping with me? "Don't look at me like that, you know I hate shopping, especially with you, but you need the clothes." I laughed, and nodded.

"Sounds good. But, why all of a sudden? I have like two weeks' worth of clothes-"I started.

"I forgot to mention. You have school tomorrow." He said meekly. I literally slapped him upside the head. Was he serious?"Meeya, just because all this is happening doesn't mean you don't need your education. You're going to try your best to be normal, and go to college and have a career, alright? You're going to school, end of story."

"Well that was a cool story and everything, but what's the real reason?" I sighed. He started to laugh. "Derek Hale, this is _so_ not funny!"

"I don't want you to be all alone in that house every day. You need to socialize. Plus, I need you to take care of the stupid newbie, and make sure he doesn't change in front of everyone." He said, whispering the last part.

"So you want me to babysit him?" I asked. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, this was just great.

"Yeah, kind of." He said warily.

"Am I at least going to get paid?" I asked, but soon it struck me, and I gasped. "That's why you're buying me the clothes!"

"Don't get too carried away, I know you have a tendency of doing that." He warned, reaching for his pocket and handing me his credit card. This was going to be good.

"We should do that more often." I said, smiling at Derek who was walking a bit behind me looking less than uninterested. "Don't be such a grump, you know you had fun."

He didn't say anything; we just continued walking out of the small mall and towards his car. He opened the small trunk, and I shoved everything in there. There was no better feeling than new shoes and new clothes. In my opinion, anyways. The rest of the car ride was silent, and I didn't mind. It gave both of us time to think.

I was going to school tomorrow. I didn't know what to expect, I had been home schooled all my life, so school was a total blur to me. I silently prayed high school wasn't as bad as they made it seem in movies or TV shows. I wasn't going to lie; I was actually kind of excited.

As we pulled in into the house, I noticed something seemed different, thought I couldn't place what it was. As I got out of the car, the breeze instantly hit me, as well as the smell. That rusty, almost salty smell I knew all too well. This was different though, it smelled sweeter yet still somehow stronger. This wasn't regular human blood, it belonged to a werewolf.

"Derek, do you smell that?"All of a sudden, I heard his breath stop, and he turned direction, eyes and mind ranging the woods around us. Derek bared his teeth, a feral snarl ripping from his throat. It was the single most menacing thing I had ever heard, and chills ran from the crown of my head to the back of my heels. Something was terribly wrong.

"Get inside." Derek growled in a hard voice, not relaxing his aggressive pose for an instant. This whole time I'd been rooted in place, terrified into absolute immobility. Derek had to grip my elbow and pull sharply to break my trance. I stumbled alongside him, still stunned with fear of what, or better _who_, the blood could be coming from. Derek was growling something too fast for me to understand, but it sounded a lot like a string of profanities.

Derek drew me into the protecting enclosure of his arm; he walked me swiftly toward the house, eyes always roving through the night. He stopped at the porch, and opened the door for me, that's when I realized he wasn't staying.

"Where are you going?" I muttered.

"I'll be back." I glared up at him. "Don't come outside, or try to follow me." I could see in his face that he had no intention of letting me leave. I shook my head, trying to reassemble my now confused thoughts.

"Was it a werewolf's blood that I smelled?" I asked. He glanced at me with unreadable eyes and his voice was suddenly harsh.

"Yes," I shuddered. There was something incredibly wrong in the woods, and I couldn't help but shudder at the fact of Derek actually going in there. I stared at him desperately, and he saw the naked panic in my eyes. "Meeya, it's going to be alright."

"Nothing is going to be alright if something happens to you," I whispered. Derek was, and had always been like a big brother to me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to him. With Laura being nowhere to be found, he was the only thing I had left in this world.

"Meeya, don't you dare waste time worrying about me. Your only concern is keeping yourself safe." His eyes went blank, curiously dead, as he turned away. And with that, he was gone off into the woods. I stood there motionless as the silent moment dragged on. I waited, and waited.

I pushed the terror back as well as I could. My decision was made, and it did no good to waste time agonizing over the outcome. I needed to know exactly what was going on, meaning I needed to go after Derek.

I ran from the living room where Derek had left me, through the door, and out into the woods. I felt so slow, like I was running through wet sand. I tripped several times, falling multiple times, catching myself with my hands, and then lurching up to plunge forward again. Derek had always been the fastest between him, Laura, and me. I always came in last. I hoped Derek hadn't been running, because if he had, I knew I had no possibility of catching up to him now. For some reason, as I was running into woods I didn't know, I felt dangerously exposed. I couldn't run anymore—I couldn't breathe; exertion and fear had gotten the best of me. I was just glad it wasn't night yet.

But I walked and walked. Time made no sense as I pushed through the thick undergrowth. It felt like hours passing, yet I was sure it was only seconds. Maybe it felt like time had frozen because the forest looked the same no matter how far I went.

The cold began to bother me a little. I wrapped my arms around myself, and continued walking.

Suddenly, there was another sound, startlingly close. A kind of snuffling, an animal sound. It sounded big. I knew I should be afraid and maybe even run if I wanted to save my life, but I didn't. I just stood there, frozen in place. It didn't matter t though, the weird snuffling went away; and for that, I was eternally grateful. That's when I heard the voices, and I followed after them, my curiosity getting the best of me.

"I don't know what it was; it was like I had the whole time in the world to catch the ball." I heard one say, the voice sounded familiar, like I had heard it before, but I couldn't place where. "And that's not the only weird thing," he continued, "I hear stuff I shouldn't be able to hear, smell things-"

"Smell things?" Said another voice, this one was unfamiliar to me, but it was obviously a male. "Like what?"

"Like, the piece of mint gum you have in your pocket," He said, sure of himself.

"I don't have gum in my pocket-"The other one said. I looked over to them from my hiding place behind a tree; it was the guy I had almost ran over yesterday. I wondered what he was doing out here in the woods. I saw as the other guy dug through his jacket and took out a piece of gum, that by the look on his face, obviously didn't know was there. "So, all this started with the bite." He didn't say it as a question, only as a statement.

"What if it's like an infection?" The guy from last night stuttered, and I couldn't help but chuckle; an infection? That was a good way to put a werewolf bite. "What if my body is floating up with adrenaline, before I go into shock or something?"

"You know what? I actually think I've heard of this; it's a specific type of infection." I tried not to step on anything that would cause noise as I got closer. This conversation was getting extremely interesting.

All of a sudden, the guy from the other night bolted to a stop and stared at his friend. "You serious?"

The guy was quick to answer. "Yeah, yeah. I think it's called like, lycanthropy." I couldn't help but laugh lightly to myself at this guy.

"What's that? Is that bad?!" He yelled, fear clear as his voice broke.

"Oh yeah, it's the worst; but only once a month." This guy seemed to know exactly what he was talking about.

"Once a month?" He asked, confused.

"Mhm, on the night of the full moon." The guy let out a howl, and the other one immediately punched his arm playfully. "Hey, you're the one who heard the wolf howling."

"There could be something seriously wrong with me!"

"I know, you're a werewolf!" He said, making a playful growling noise. "Okay, obviously I'm kidding. But if you see me in class trying to melt all the silver I can find it's because Friday is the full moon." This guy was seriously underestimating everything he was saying. But I'm guessing it was simply because he didn't know how accurate he was about his friend's situation. Guess they would just have to wait and see what was coming at them.

"I could've sworn this was it. Saw the body, the deer came running, I dropped my inhaler—"

"Maybe the killer moved the body?" I couldn't help but wonder what these guys were talking about when they said 'body'. Were they actually talking about an actual human body? Had that been what I smelled earlier?

"Dude, well I hope he left my inhaler, those things are like $80 bucks." I smiled at them, until the guy pattedhim in the back, telling him to get up. I traced his gaze to see what he was looking at, and there he was, Derek. Poor guys, Derek probably scared the crap out of them.

"What are you doing here? Huh?" Derek said, his husky voice ringing throughout my ears. "This is private property."

"Uh, sorry man, we didn't know."

"Yeah, we were just, looking for something but, forget it—"At that moment, Derek threw something at the guy I had already met, but I was too far away and he threw it much too fast to see exactly what it was. I looked back at Derek, but he was gone. However, I was surprised, because the guy caught the thing like it was nothing; no human would have been able to catch that. "Come on, I've got to get to work."

If I had any doubts before, they were all gone; something was really odd about this guy. He seemed to be appalled about this too, so he obviously didn't know what was going on either. He was sure it had to do with the wolf biting him, and in all honesty, so did I. But, if a werewolf had bitten him, that could only mean one thing. He was a werewolf.

"Scott, dude…that was Derek Hale!" So the new werewolf's name was Scott. Just needed to find out what the other guy's name was. "You remember, right? He's only like a few years older than us."

"Remember what?" Scott asked, obviously not knowing what the hell his friend was talking about.

"His family?! They all burned in a house fire like ten years ago." The guy exclaimed, seeming way to excited. I wasn't surprised he still remembered that, my family's death was the topic of gossip around the people of Beacon Hills for weeks, I was sure.

"I wonder what he's doing back." Scott said, both of them looking at where Derek disappeared before the guy nudged Scott and they both left.

That's when I realized, I was going to have some trouble of my own. Derek had probably already arrived at the house, meaning he was about to (if he hadn't already) found out I was gone. I didn't want to think what would be waiting for me when I got back. I also didn't want to think what Derek would do if he thought I was dead. For a second, I thought about not returning at all, but I knew I would never have the courage to do that.

I was about to head back, when all of a sudden someone grabbed my arm, and then placed their hands on my mouth to keep me back from screaming. I elbowed whoever this was in the stomach, and their hands loosened, giving me a chance of sinking my teeth into one hand; they immediately released.

"Meeya!" The all too familiar voice growled, and I couldn't help but think I was about to face my death.

"Hi, Derek." I tried smiling at him, but the angry look on his face didn't erase. "Don't look at me like that."

"What were you thinking?!" He hissed, covering his hand with the not bitten one; not hiding it well enough, I could still see the tiny drops of blood.

"In my defense, you were the one who came out of nowhere and covered my mouth just like a serial killer would." I said. I tried backing away a little; I wanted to be nowhere near Derek when he exploded.

"And the first thing you do is bite me?!"

"Don't be ridiculous, I elbowed you first. Just like my momma taught me." I smiled cheekily at him, trying to ease up the situation, and make Derek look like he wasn't about to kill me. But it didn't work. In my head, I silently thanked God for giving me such a good life, seeming that it was going to come to an end soon.

"What if it had been a serial killer, and not me? Think about it, you, a werewolf, just bit a normal human being. What would that have meant?" He seemed to get more angry, not less.

I shrugged. "It would mean I'd have an ugly distaste in my mouth. You really need to wash your hands more often." I said, sticking out my tongue, trying to get rid of the nasty after taste.

Derek didn't budge or say anything, he just glared at me. "Fine, it would mean we'd have more werewolf friends! This isn't all that bad, in fact, if anything it be good for you. You rarely socialize with anybody, maybe get a girlfriend—"

"Meeya, be serious, please." I wasn't going to win, so I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry; I didn't know what I was thinking. I should've paid more attention to what I was doing. I'll watch more carefully where I sink my teeth into from now on, okay? Happy?" I said.

"Hardly." He said, though I noticed his face relax a little. It gave me hope that I would have some small chance of coming out alive, which was better than nothing.

"You're hard to please-"

"I thought I told you to stay in the house." He said firmly, though I noticed the tint of worried in his tone.

"And I would've thought you knew I wasn't going to listen." I wasn't a trouble maker, not at all. If anything, I was just a good girl who took a lot of risks, and never really paid attention to the rules. "Did you find it?"

He knew instantly what I was talking about. "Yes,"

"Was it a werewolf?" I asked, even though I was sure it was, I needed to make sure.

"She was." _She_ _was? _Did he mean she wasn't anymore? I couldn't be sure.

"Was it the same body those boys were looking for?" The question was out before I could think about it. He didn't say anything, just nodded. He seemed to be in deep thought, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to know what was going on in his head.

"Laura's dead."


End file.
